Only SIX fragrances??

[earlene]

I did not know Aldi was in the UK. We used to have one in our town, but they left because we didn't provide them enough business to make it profitable. But I do shop Aldi when I am in the cities and on the road when I can find one. I really like one particular bread they carry that I have never seen elsewhere.

When grocery shopping, I tend to go back to places that have what I want whether they are big or small. For example, if a large store doesn't carry the vegetarian entree options I prefer, I'll go elsewhere until I find someone who does carry it and they get my repeat business as long as they carry what I want.

For soap scents or soap styles, maybe 6 to choose from is fine in a small market, with minimal traffic, but in a bigger market, I'd hope for more options from which to choose.

 

[Holly8991]

I like a lot of variety so I guess thats why I currently have about 100 different scents on hand

On a side note....I hate Aldi......tried it twice. If a grocery type store is smaller than my kitchen I am not interested
We were going to get a Lidl but they scrapped that idea after they cleared the land a while back.

 

[cmzaha]

I do a buy 4 get one free special at each show so only having 6 varieties wouldn't work for me either.

I never by x amount get one free. Since I sell my soaps for $7 that is a $7 loss. I do have a 4 for $25 which is a $3 discount and I still make money on the bar. Giving it away I do not make money

I think its really interesting seeing what everyone says about 'more is more' and I understand cos its something Ive always struggled with too - think it also depends on how and where you sell and what type of customer you have. Having 40 fragrances might work for one person but for someone else having 6 or 10 might work better, depends on your market, customer, business etc, definitely not a one size fits all.

The 6 to 10 will never work better if a seller with a large selection is also in the market. They may get the passerby that has not yet seen the seller with a large selection. Also sellers with lg selections usually have a variety of soaps including Vegan, Non Vegan, Oatmeal, no Oatmeal etc etc. I learned a long time ago to go bigger or go home, if I was to survive selling soap

It could work with minimal fragrances but if the seller is in a small market and no soap sellers with a large selection. I do understand in the UK it would be much harder to have a big selection since soaps have to go through assessment unlike the US and if I remember reading you can only have x amount of fragrance change per assessment. So that definitely changes inventory choices I would think.

 

[Lin19687]

I do as @cmzaha does. 4 / $25 - $7 a bar in my FM's that I have to pay for
I still have one FM that I do not have to pay a Fee. So they all get $0.50 off each single soap and a $4 / $20 which is $6 off - but I will be changing that to 4 / $22 next market. I am the only Soaper there.
One FM they only have one soaper on each time, so I am there till sept 4th and they are on the other days.
The other 2 markets I am the only soaper

 

[cmzaha]

I do not change pricing from one market to another, simply because people know me and my prices. I have a 100 mile range of markets I do and people will recognize my booth no matter where I am. Just had one come to my booth that had not seen me in almost 2 year and in a market I only attended once. She told me she knew that was me because she recognized my booth. If I were to sell for a different price you can bet the customer will tell you because they tend to remember prices. This is also why I do not make drastic changes to my booth or rebranding

 

[LilyJo]

Can I just put it out there for UK and EU soapers - you dont need to have 40-100 fragrances to run a soap business.

I understand that the rules are different across the world and different markets have different profiles but can we scale back on pushing the idea that less than 30/40/100 is not worth doing? Its not a fair picture or expectation for markets outside of the US.

In order to sell legally in the EU (online, Etsy, craft fairs, school fairs, markets, anywhere) you need a safety assessment, the cheapest safety assessments I know of is £180 for 8 soap variations. To have 80-100 variations you are looking at around £2000 - before you have even sold a single bar of soap.

There is a school of thought that says less is more and for many UK/EU based sellers you have to work with getting the best set of products assessed and sometimes that means that you only get 8 done and see how it goes for months - it doesnt mean you wont sell any, it doesnt mean you are doing something wrong and it doesnt mean that you wont get any interest. And trust me, you will NEVER be up against anyone with 80-100 soap variations in any UK craft fair - well, not if they are selling legally that is

Im not saying anyone is wrong, all I want to do is give another view so that any new soaper doesnt think they have to get 100 fragrances assessed before they can even sell!

 

[MySoapyHeart]

I do understand in the UK it would be much harder to have a big selection since soaps have to go through assessment unlike the US and if I remember reading you can only have x amount of fragrance change per assessment. So that definitely changes inventory choices I would think.

Yes, you are correct, it does make it much more difficult. We in the EU can never ever compete with you guys in America, we have to do things in a smaller scale, simply because unless someone`s already are a millionaire, it isn`t exactly viable to start with 30 fragrances asessed before someone even sell 1 soap. But you guys are more free to do that, so that works out better for you. And I would LOVE to have seen your booth, Carolyn, a long time soaper who know her market, would be a treat to see!

The safety assesment company I have chosen, allows 8 fragrance variations. If you want more you have to get another assesment. But if I recall correctly they will shave a littlebit off the price if you send in more variations at once, so you don`t have to pay doubble, but get a small discount. How much they don`t say. But still, only 8 fragrances makes it much more difficult to decide which oils I want. I don`t want to choose a fragrance that fades, and end up being a dud, so everything must be 100% before I send in my formula. I haven`t sent in my papers just yet, but hopefully soon(ish), need to finish getting all my colors decided for each fragrance, the look of the soap, lablel, etc. I have been testing them for morphing, bleeding, along with the fragrances that sticks etc etc.

I hope to end up with 14 fragrances and 2 essential oil variations that I know will stick in soap. I`ll be more than happy with that. I base that on 100 different people testing my soaps over 2 years, and which fragrances the general consensus likes the best. If I can expand fragrance options, I totally will, but not chewing over more than I can swallow is a good rule to live by for me

 

[Lin19687]

@cmzaha I only do 3 markets now and it is only $0.50 difference in the soaps. Not much but I could have upped it to $1.50.
My markets are miles apart and wish they were a bit cheaper. I lost money on one last week (1st time there) due to rain. I have to go this week because I told a few people there that I would be but I ate the $30 fee for the 1st day. Rain forecast this week so I bet I will eat the next $30 and then I will no longer go there The other new one this week is $25 fee, will see how that goes this week.

I understand about EU/UK soaping, totally different due to the laws. And I do hope that having less soaps displayed is not a discouragement to anyone. What works for some won't for others.

 

[I_like_melts]

My goal is to carry 30 - 35 at any given time, which reminds me I need to make more wax. I also sell mostly on Etsy though, and from what I read, 30 listings or more is supposed to be good for SEO.

 

[amd]

Well, it's been a few months since I posted this and I have been watching which soaps sell and if I have a trend of only selling 10 fragrances really well at ALL shows... and I can safely say that I don't. For example, last September I made a Lime Basil honey soap, and I sold one or two bars here and there since then, with zero sales on it the last 4 months... until my two day show two weeks ago. They loved it there, with multiple people buying it, and cleaned out half of my stock! And to think I almost didn't put it out at that show! It was my best seller that weekend. The one soap I do sell really well is my daughter's Unicorn Poop soap, and that one sells at every show - I think part of it is the name, followed by it is a fun scented and designed soap, and third I make sure I tell people that $5 of every purchase goes towards Claire's horse camp fund. The soap is $2 more than my other bars, but no blinks an eye at paying it.

[side note: Claire has a scholarship to cover half of the cost of camp, but we still need to pay $300 out of pocket for her to go, she really wanted to help earn half of that so she came up with a soap design and helped make it - she shaped lollipops out of soap dough to place on top of the soap, chose the colors and helped weigh out oils and colorants, leaving me to do the "heavy" work of mixing and pouring the actual soap. She's halfway to her goal and we're getting ready to make another batch to restock.]

I have a few times run into the situation of people being overwhelmed, telling me "there's too many, I can't decide" and then they walk away. I wonder if some of that is that my displays aren't well organized, so I am going to be working on that this weekend for my show next week - the other part of the organization is just getting my inventory boxes set up to match the display so it's easier to unpack at shows.

This article and the responses in the thread gave me a lot of food for thought, and I am going to be changing how I do some of my soapmaking in 2019 - but I'll probably still be carrying 40+ fragrances, lol. If nothing else just because I'm an FO ho and need to use up what I have in stock.

 

[jcandleattic]

I have been watching which soaps sell and if I have a trend of only selling 10 fragrances really well at ALL shows

I can honestly say, for me, what sells like hotcakes at one show, will barely move at the next one. This happens from year to year, from show to show. What sells is ALWAYS different, always. That's why I will never have any "must have" scents that I HAVE TO HAVE.
That also means for me if a seller suddenly either discontinues that scent or suddenly closes up shop, I will never be in the lurch to find a replacement.

Now, admittedly I did not read this whole thread, so I may be missing the point along the way, so please forgive me with my answer here, but I would also never be able to narrow down my scent list to only a dozen to half dozen scents.
I have, as of my last inventory, 166 unique scents from about 10+ different places. On top of those, I also blend many of my scents, so that list is at least double with unique scents/blends I have on hand.
I've thought about dwindling down my scent list several times, however, there are just too many good ones out there for me to even want to try at this point.

 

[shunt2011]

I too would have difficulty picking just 8-10 fragrances. What sells at one show doesn't sell at another. This past weekend Dragon's Blood was selling like hotcakes. Now, there is one man that stops by every year and grabs 8 bars. I went through 20 this weekend. I currently have 35 fragrances. Will be adding 3 more by fall.

 

[soapmaker]

amd said, "I have a few times run into the situation of people being overwhelmed, telling me "there's too many, I can't decide" and then they walk away. I wonder if some of that is that my displays aren't well organized, so I am going to be working on that this weekend for my show next week - the other part of the organization is just getting my inventory boxes set up to match the display so it's easier to unpack at shows."
I have wondered if people say this because they weren't intending to buy anyway, they just wanted to stop and look.

 

[LilyJo]

I too would have difficulty picking just 8-10 fragrances. What sells at one show doesn't sell at another. This past weekend Dragon's Blood was selling like hotcakes. Now, there is one man that stops by every year and grabs 8 bars. I went through 20 this weekend. I currently have 35 fragrances. Will be adding 3 more by fall.

I wish we had that flexibility - the process and costs associated with getting products assessed means you are pretty much stuck with the fragrance, recipe and colours until you can afford to get another batch assessed. When you add product testing and curing onto the whole process it can take months and months to bring a new range of products to market so you have to be sure what you want to get signed off before you start. It drives me mad and holds back the creativity without a doubt but its the rules we have to live with and I cant see it changing any time soon.

 

[I_like_melts]

amd said, "I have a few times run into the situation of people being overwhelmed, telling me "there's too many, I can't decide" and then they walk away. I wonder if some of that is that my displays aren't well organized, so I am going to be working on that this weekend for my show next week - the other part of the organization is just getting my inventory boxes set up to match the display so it's easier to unpack at shows."
I have wondered if people say this because they weren't intending to buy anyway, they just wanted to stop and look.

I think so to. Maybe ask them what kind of smells they usually like?

 

[LilyJo]

I too would have difficulty picking just 8-10 fragrances. What sells at one show doesn't sell at another. This past weekend Dragon's Blood was selling like hotcakes. Now, there is one man that stops by every year and grabs 8 bars. I went through 20 this weekend. I currently have 35 fragrances. Will be adding 3 more by fall.

I wish we had that flexibility - the process and costs associated with getting products assessed means you are pretty much stuck with the fragrance, recipe and colours until you can afford to get another batch assessed. When you add product testing and curing onto the whole process it can take months and months to bring a new range of products to market so you have to be sure what you want to get signed off before you start. It drives me mad and holds back the creativity without a doubt but its the rules we have to live with and I cant see it changing any time soon.

 

[jcandleattic]

I have wondered if people say this because they weren't intending to buy anyway, they just wanted to stop and look.

this might be part of it.
It's amazing the excuses/explanations I get when people look/sniff/handle but don't buy.
Some are comical, some are rude, and some you can tell are just outright lies.
I simply smile and say "thanks for stopping by".

 

[cmzaha]

this might be part of it.
It's amazing the excuses/explanations I get when people look/sniff/handle but don't buy.
Some are comical, some are rude, and some you can tell are just outright lies.
I simply smile and say "thanks for stopping by".

I do the same. The market I have now the people tend to just say I am just looking. I do capture a small percentage of the "Looky Loos", I also thank them for stopping by

 

[jcandleattic]

I do the same. The market I have now the people tend to just say I am just looking. I do capture a small percentage of the "Looky Loos", I also thank them for stopping by

I have a few that you can tell are not going to buy but want so badly to pick them up and smell, but you can just tell that guilt they feel for not buying. After selling for as long as we have you recognize it. When I see it, I try to alleviate their guilt and let them know it's okay to just sniff and browse by picking them up and handling them.

 

[cmzaha]

I too would have difficulty picking just 8-10 fragrances. What sells at one show doesn't sell at another. This past weekend Dragon's Blood was selling like hotcakes. Now, there is one man that stops by every year and grabs 8 bars. I went through 20 this weekend. I currently have 35 fragrances. Will be adding 3 more by fall.

Keep selling DB we may have a real backup of it.

I have a few that you can tell are not going to buy but want so badly to pick them up and smell, but you can just tell that guilt they feel for not buying. After selling for as long as we have you recognize it. When I see it, I try to alleviate their guilt and let them know it's okay to just sniff and browse by picking them up and handling them.

Yep, many times my husband will mention, "they had no intentions of buying," after handing them one of our best sellers and getting them to sniffie it. Sometimes it does not work and it is fun to see them come up with another excuse, instead of saying they really do no want one.